Performing & Visual Arts
Creative Expression at Every Stage
At WNS, the arts are an important part of the student experience, giving children opportunities to explore their creativity, express themselves, and discover new interests. From the studio to the stage, students engage in visual art, theatre, music, and dance throughout their Elementary and Middle School years.
In Elementary School, students build a foundation through hands-on experiences that encourage imagination, experimentation, and creative expression.
As they move into Middle School, they continue to develop their skills and artistic voices, with increasing opportunities to make choices, pursue individual interests, collaborate with others, and take creative risks.
Whether creating a work of art, performing on stage, making music with an ensemble, learning a new form of dance, or working behind the scenes, students experience the arts as a way to communicate ideas, build confidence, and connect with one another.
Performing Arts in Elementary School
Our Elementary Performing Arts program is designed to spark curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong appreciation for the arts. Through General Music and Creative Movement & Dance, students explore rhythm, melody, movement, performance, and self-expression in an active, hands-on environment.
In General Music, students develop foundational musical skills through singing, listening, creating, and playing instruments, including ukulele, percussion, piano, and more. Students build an understanding of rhythm, music theory, composers, musical styles, and instruments from around the world while discovering the joy of making music together.
Through Creative Movement & Dance, students use their bodies as another form of creative expression, developing coordination, musicality, spatial awareness, confidence, and collaboration. Movement activities encourage students to explore, improvise, create, and perform while building skills that grow alongside them throughout the Elementary program.
Together, these experiences provide students with broad exposure and strong foundational skills, giving every young artist opportunities to play, move, create, perform, and discover what excites them.
Performing Arts in Middle School
Theatre
Each grade participates in a dedicated performance, and all Students have the chance to explore their interests further through a range of performing arts electives.
The program culminates in a special CAPStone Showcase, a fully student produced experience that showcases the leadership, creativity, and teamwork of our graduating class.
These shared artistic experiences strengthen peer connections, build lasting memories, and offer students a meaningful way to reflect on their WNS journey before heading into high school.
5th & 6th Grade
In 5th and 6th grade, Performing Arts is all about exploration, exposure, and skill building. Students experience a broad range of disciplines across theatre, music, and dance, giving them opportunities to try new things, build foundational skills, and discover what excites them. As part of our annual Cultural Fair, 5th grade students come together through theatre and music to celebrate the diverse cultures represented within their grade. Students explore cultural traditions, stories, music, and artistic expression, culminating in a collaborative performance shared with the school community.
7th & 8th Grade CAP (Create & Perform)
Reimagining Arts Education: Moving from full-year once a cycle courses to quarterly, three times a cycle, curated courses allowing for more student choice in 7th and 8th grades. Courses include composition, performance, and design.
Sample Theatre & Dance CAP Offerings:
- Broadway Lab
- Lights in Motion: Lighting Design for Live Performances
- Improv
- Beat Street Dance
- Inside the Actor's Studio
- Puppetry Design & Performance
Music
Our 5-8 music program at WNS offers an engaging, comprehensive curriculum designed to nurture every student's creative journey. Through a modern band approach, students explore music literacy, history, composition, and recording while developing hands-on skills in vocal performance, piano, guitar, and percussion.
5th & 6th General Music:
Focuses on building a strong musical foundation, exploring personal music identity, and practicing core skills in composition, voice, piano, guitar, and percussion.
7th & 8th Grade CAP (Create & Produce):
Allows students to specialize through targeted musical tracks:
- Vocal Spotlight: Advanced vocal techniques and performance skills.
- Guitar Workshop: Focused instrumental development and accompaniment.
- Rock Band: Collaborative ensemble playing and modern performance techniques.
- Jet Set Chorus: Our premier extracurricular choir where students perform dynamic two- and three-part harmonies and compete annually in regional festivals.
Recent Productions
Monty Python's Spamalot
The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong
Newsies Jr.
Legally Blonde
Visual Arts in Elementary School
At WNS, our visual arts program encourages students to explore their creativity, experiment with new ideas, and develop their own artistic voices.
With an emphasis on the creative process, students learn to think critically, solve problems, and make thoughtful decisions as they bring their ideas to life.
Through hands-on projects in drawing, painting, weaving, ceramics, sewing, and more, students develop new skills and techniques while discovering different ways to express themselves.
Our program encourages individuality, curiosity, and an appreciation for different perspectives and approaches to art. We love seeing our students' artwork displayed throughout campus, but we place just as much value on the creative process itself.
Whether trying a new technique, working through a challenge, or exploring an unexpected idea, students learn that creating art is as much about the experience as it is about the finished piece.
Visual Arts in Middle School
The middle school art program is organized around imagination, innovation, invention, observation, communication and expression. Students learn that art is a means to communicate feelings and ideas, to articulate what they think and know, to reflect upon issues, and to come to a clearer understanding of themselves, their culture, and other people. Through art, our students seek to inform, inspire and move others emotionally or intellectually.
In 5th and 6th grade, Visual Arts invites students to create, experiment, and develop their artistic voice. Through experiences with a variety of materials, techniques, and artistic traditions, students learn how ideas can take shape through visual expression.
In 7th and 8th grade, students have even more choice of classes as art is woven into their CAPStone projects.
Current Visual Art CAPStone Offerings:
- 2D Fabrication
- Ceramics
- 3D Unleashed
- Paint & Paste
- Game Design Studio (Design-Code-Make class)
- Creature Studio (Design-Code-Make class)
Learn More about the Arts in Middle School
The Arts in Pictures
